Poet of the Week: Alle Bloom

Alle Bloom is a 2nd year Sociology and Politics Student, she is a performance poet who recently competed with the Manchester team at Uni-Slam and is a member of Young Identity. 

Flowerbeds

I should have known from the dirt under your fingernails where you’d been,
you had the roots of my sisters tangled around your thumb,
i couldn’t see then,
that you were the one who had pulled them from our flowerbed.

the soil beneath my toes had always grounded me,
and though soft petals scarred faded brown around me,
i did not heed their warning,

the shadow you cast made me feel safe,
i made sure i always turned my head to face you,
lest you stop looking at me,
and fell for sweeter rosebuds,

when you wrapped your hands around me,
i could only see that you were pulling me closer,
paid no mind to my leaves as they crushed inside your fist,

you did not give me the same look you gave my sisters,
instead,
recoiled back,
red bloomed on your soft palms,

you do not have the hands of a gardener,

i guess you should’ve learned by now,
though we may look fragile,
some of us have thorns.